1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a function of attaching a storage medium for storing image data taken by a digital camera, and reading and printing the image data stored in the storage medium, in particular, an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program, for reading a handwritten character, a handdrawn illustration, and the like, combining the read handwritten original with selected image data, and printing the resultant.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with the diffusion of digital cameras, there is an increasing demand for printing out (photoprinting) an image taken by a digital camera in the home. In general, in order to print out the image taken by the digital camera, a storage medium reader (hereinafter, referred to as a “memory card reader”) is connected to a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a “PC”). Then, a storage medium (hereinafter, referred to as a “memory card”) that stores the image taken by the digital camera is attached to the memory card reader to load the image data into the PC. Then, the PC and a printer are connected to each other for printout.
As an apparatus for enabling a user who is not skilled in the PC to easily obtain a photoprint, a so-called direct printer apparatus and a so-called multi-function printer apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as an “MFP apparatus”) capable of providing a plurality of functions are commercially available. Each of these apparatuses includes a memory card slot for attaching a memory card that stores an image taken by a digital camera to the apparatus. An operation section on the apparatus can be operated to select an image to be printed and to specify a paper size, the number of prints, and the like.
In recent years, equipment including a color LCD screen is also commercially available. With reference to the LCD screen, an image to be printed can be selected. Therefore, even a user who is not skilled in the PC can easily obtain a photoprint.
Further, in the MFP apparatus, a photoprinting method with a print setting sheet is provided to more easily specify the above-mentioned settings for photoprinting. In the photoprinting with the print setting sheet, an image stored in the memory card attached to the MFP apparatus and an area to be marked for selecting the image are first arranged adjacent to each other to make a list. Then, the print setting sheet is printed. The user checks the mark corresponding to the image desired to be printed on the print setting sheet. Then, the marked print setting sheet is placed on an original table of the MFP apparatus, to be scanned for detecting the mark. Thereafter, the image corresponding to the detected mark is printed. By the series of operations, the user can easily print a desired image.
Further, the above-mentioned print setting sheet is developed to provide a handwriting composite print function of combining a character handwritten or an illustration handdrawn by a user with an arbitrary image file and printing the resultant image. On the print setting sheet for providing the handwriting composite print function, an area where the user is to handwrite a character or to handdraw an illustration is printed. In the area, the user handwrites a character or handdraws an illustration. Thereafter, a print setting sheet for handwriting composite print is placed on the original table of the MFP apparatus to read data on the sheet on the original table. The read data of the handwriting area and the selected image data are combined to print out the handwritten character or handdrawn illustration combined with the arbitrary image on a selected piece of paper based on the mark on the composite print setting sheet.
As a combination method for combining a handwritten character or handdrawn illustration as described above, a method of determining the position of a pixel to be combined by using a predetermined key signal to combine photographic image data has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-200727).
Next, a procedure of conventional composite printing using the above-mentioned composite print setting sheet will be briefly described.
First, on the LCD screen provided for the MFP apparatus, an image that the user desires to combine and print is selected. Thereafter, the composite print setting sheet is printed out. The selected image is printed out on the print setting sheet as a sample. Adjacent to the image printed as a sample (reference image), a frame indicating an area, in which the composite image is to be drawn, is printed out. Then, the user writes or draws a character or an illustration by hand in the area of the printed-out composite print setting sheet, in which the composite image is to be drawn. Then, the mark corresponding to a paper size after the combination is checked on a mark sheet (mark-sense sheet) to select the paper size after the combination. The thus generated composite print setting sheet is placed on the original table of the MFP apparatus to be scanned. As a result, the handwriting data drawn in the area, in which the composite image is drawn, is read to be combined with the selected image data and then is printed.